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Spreading to the horizon was a blood-red landscape of hills and crags, dotted with twisted, blackened trees. Noxious green clouds drifted through the air and clung to the valleys. And just below him, on a flattened plain of crushed rock and volcanic glass, Gaia’s army was preparing for war.
Hyperborean giants towered above the other troops like living blue siege towers. Legions of Cyclopes rummaged through mounds of armour and weapons, looking for the best-quality gear. Packs of wolves prowled the perimeter, occasionally surrounding some unfortunate monster straggler and taking them out for lunch. A herd of drakons wove in and out of the ranks, trampling anything too slow to get out of their way.
‘Oh, Hades,’ Nico murmured.
Which was exactly when three basilisks raised their heads to look at him. Nico knew what they were instantly – not many creatures look like cobras with miniature deer antlers – but he knew better than to meet their yellow lamp-like gaze.
Instead, he turned and ran.
He heard their blood-chilling screeches behind him, but he refused to look back. Whatever he was running towards, it had to be better than the ten-thousand-to-one odds behind him.
The ground gave with each step like spongy turf. Off to his left,a green bank of fog drifted across a marsh. He thought of heading into it, for cover at least, but he didn’t know what that fog was made of. It could be acid, or poison, or some monstrous gaseous life-form with a taste for demigods.
Behind him, a beast snarled. Nico instinctively swung his sword back, and the blade connected with flesh. The creature howled in pain. Another lunged in front of him: one of the massive black wolves. Nico sliced off its head without even slowing, and its body disintegrated immediately.
Nico kept running. Sweat poured down his face. His lungs burned. He glanced back just long enough to see more wolves racing after him, slavering for a di Angelo snack plate.
Absolutely not,he told himself.
But there was nowhere to go, nothing to hide behind. About a hundred metres away, he spotted a ridge with some strange black ovals protruding from the surface. Volcanic outcrops, maybe? Perhaps something there could give him a bit of coverage, but he’d never make it before the wolves tore him apart.
Then he glanced to his right and nearly tripped over himself in surprise. Someone was waving at him.
Nestled between the nearest two hills was a white house with red trim, big bay windows and a sloping, shingled roof. Unlike everything else in Tartarus, it didn’t appear dead, rotting or poisonous. It was just … a house, like you might see anywhere in suburban America. On the front porch stood a human-looking figure, beckoning to Nico. He knew in his heart this was probably a trap, but where else was he supposed to go?
His lungs burned.
His eyes watered.
He was losing hope as the wolves gained ground.
So Nico cut to the right and pumped his legs. He could hear thewolves’ paws thumping behind him. He pushed himself harder, until the person on the porch was fully in view. They had shoulder-length black hair and a striking red jacket that matched the surrounding landscape. As Nico got closer, they turned and walked through the front door, which began to close …
‘Hey!’ Nico yelled. ‘Wait!’
He was running so fast he almost flew through the doorway. It slammed shut, just in time for the wolves to crash into it.
They howled and whined outside while Nico sat panting on the floor, his back wedged against the door. Why did his lungs hurt so badly? Maybe he’d cracked his ribs in the fall. Or maybe the atmosphere in Tartarus just wasn’t fit for demigods. Maybe he wassupposedto struggle to survive here.
He glanced around at the empty room: nothing but a bare, dusty hardwood floor and blank white walls. No other exits. Even the bay windows seemed to have disappeared from the front wall.
‘About time you found me.’
The voice startled Nico so badly that he jumped and banged his head on the doorknob. Clutching the tender spot on the top of his skull, he squinted at the person who had materialized across the room.
She didn’t look like a monster, which concerned Nico, given that he’d fallen into Tartarus. Then again, monsters came in all shapes and sizes. Her jeans and leather boots were the same dark tone as her hair. A single gold chain looped across the front of her white blouse. Her red jacket glistened disturbingly like fresh blood. Behind her was … nothing. The back wall had simply vanished, replaced by a dark void.
She stared at Nico appraisingly. ‘Well? Aren’t you going to ask me who I am?’
Nico rubbed the knot forming on his head. ‘I’m going to guess you’re a goddess, seeing as you have a house in the middle of Tartarus. Is this, like, your vacation home or …?’
‘It’s not really my home,’ she said. ‘Think of it more as … a shrine, if you will. A safe haven. And until recent events I was not allowed even that.’
As she said this, her irises flared red. ‘My only true home is in the heart, the spirit. When balance is achieved.’
The flare went out.
‘Impressive,’ said Nico. When she rolled her eyes, he laughed. ‘I’m serious! That was actually pretty cool.’
